We're all pumped up on cornflakes and taquitos...

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..and we're ready for adventure!

We started by getting shuttled in style to the airport where we flew to VEGAS, Baby! The flight was ordinary and unremarkable. As long as you don't count waiting for our luggage at the wrong turnstyle (Leslie was distracted by the flashy show ads and some guy's Hawaiian shirt). Luggage in hand, we sauntered over to have our rental car bestowed upon us. Instead we were dealt a cruel blow - the bitchiest rental car agent on the planet. It must have been her last day there before a root canal. We escaped her forcefield of negativity and managed to pick up our sleek 2007 Chrysler Sebring! She got loaded up and we drove onto the old Route 66.

We traveled past the Hoover Dam where the road signs warned us to watch out for Big Horned Sheep. We had a brief chuckle about it until Michael spotted one - a BIG one - on top of a rocky hill. Very cool.

We drove through little towns like Kingman, Az (just like the song says) which now exist solely to support the kitch industry. If you're wondering where to pick up all those feather-laden dreamcatchers for your friends, this is it!

A wonderfully brilliant sunset guided us along route 64 to Tusayan, just outside the Grand Canyon National Park (or the GCNP, for those of us in the know.) We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express weary and hungry. A very personable guy named Joseph checked us in amid a frenzy of activity--the place was packed! To my relief, the hotel did honor my employee rate room. Joseph told Michael a guy had just walked in and was offered the only room available at $200 a night. Wow.

Happily settled into our bargain digs, we then searched for dinner. We got a recommendation of the posh joint across the street which turned out to feature somewhat loud Native American live "music". For those who haven't heard it, the music has about as much appeal as Native American cuisine.

We ran screaming over to the next place, Cafe Tusayan, which resembled a Denny's but without all the atmosphere. The food turned out to be very good, and the whole place seemed impeccably neat and clean. The wait staff was very friendly, but wait! When we ordered our bottle of wine, they actually went through the steps of service. Very impressive for a place with bright green paper placemats. Warm with full stomachs (it was about 29 degrees outside) we wandered back to the hotel. Maybe it was the red zinfandel that made us brave, but we decided on a 5:30 wake-up call followed by a drive to the Big Hole for sunrise. Sweet dreams.

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Photos

Our plucky little Sebring
Comfy, but not much power. And crappy brakes. And questionable transmission.

It's no joke!
Big Horn Sheep are taking over...

The only pee stop until Kingman
And they make sure that you buy something while you're here.

One of the many stops...
...that we avoided on the way to the Grand Canyon.

The famous route
When we stopped to take the picture we saw a brave, somewhat sassy, coyote. Unfortunately she refused to pose for us.

Welcome to Kingman, Arizona
If this were in Texas, the daily special would be armadillo.

Ahhh, civilization
Those squat amber water glasses from the 70s are alive and well.

Comments

[Debbie Lyons]

This is hysterical. What a riot! I am so jealous. You must be having so much fun. Thanks for the travelogue. Keep me posted.